The Man Purse: How Do You Feel?

The man purse, or “murse,” as it’s commonly called by people who also say “a pant,” is having a moment in fashion. For some men, it’s nothing more than a messenger bag, which could be seen as something like a briefcase strapped across a chest. For others, like this guy, it’s a “folio.” And for still more, it’s just what it sounds like — an out-and-out purse.

So, how do you feel about them?

Before we delve in, we’d be remiss if we tried to have this conversation without addressing the fact that for some people, a negative reaction to a man purse is the result of straight-up homophobia. Purses, after all, are traditionally for ladies, and when men do things that are feminine it causes the homophobes among us to write songs like this and get all butch and think about how they hate women and gay people and ‘MERICA FUCK YEAH.

So, man purses are really a more complicated issue than they seem on the surface. But from a fashion standpoint, I have to say that I don’t believe they add much to a man’s outfit, mostly because they’re generally somewhat uniform and banal. However, the folio guy has got it down — use a purse to inject some color into your wardrobe. Well played.